The subject matter herein relates generally to communication connectors.
Some electrical connector systems utilize communication connectors to interconnect various components of the system for data communication. Some known communication connectors have performance problems, particularly when transmitting at high data rates. For example, the communication connectors typically utilize differential pair signal conductors to transfer high speed signals. Ground conductors improve signal integrity. However, electrical performance of known communication connectors, when transmitting the high data rates, is inhibited by noise from cross-talk and return loss. Such issues are more problematic with small pitch high speed data connectors, which are noisy and exhibit higher than desirable return loss due to the close proximity of signal and ground contacts. Energy from ground contacts on either side of the signal pair may be reflected in the space between the ground contacts and such noise results in reduced connector performance and throughput. The separation of the ground contacts often results in unfavorable resonances supported by the ground contacts at particular frequency bands. Costly methods using complex geometries of the signal and ground contacts have proven effective, but can overly complicate the design of the connector and may be impractical.
A need remains for a high density, high speed electrical connector assembly that reduces unwanted resonances supported by ground contacts in targeted frequency bands.